Robespierre and Stalin: a Comparison and Contrast

Throughout European history, there have been infamous political leaders who have left unfavorable marks on their nation’s past. Two of the most terrible of these leaders were the Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin and the French Revolutionary Maximillien Robespierre. Although the two men were apart of completely different generations and different nationalities, their characteristics as politicians and as leaders were similar in many ways. Their brutal disregard for the lives of their countrymen when trying to gain complete power, along with their hatred of religion and the practice of it while in control of their respective nations were both seen as dark periods of European history. During the years prior to the French Revolution, the monarchy had complete control and was strictly controlled by the wealthy. The most powerful non-royal individuals were members of the Conservative Party and supported the monarchy. The minority in those days was the Liberal Party, which consisted of those who were in support of democratic rule and were opposed to the monarchy. As the Revolution commenced, however, the power shifted and the Liberals began gaining independence from the monarchy. As this occurred, a small political club known as the Jacobins began meeting. This small group gradually grew in size and influence and as they became more in favor of liberal ideals, the older conservative members left, leaving the leftists in control. Robespierre used this as his platform to power in French politics as he was able to express his feelings and soon became the leader of the Jacobin Club (1). The Club soon became the leaders of the Revolution and Robespierre called for the execution of the king in order to save the Revolution. Once the king was out of the equation, Robespierre found himself in control of the Revolution and eventually the French government itself. The Bolshevik Party,...

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...Maximilien de Robespierre was born into a family within France during high political tension. When he was six, Robespierre's mother died during the birth of her fifth child. His father was devastated. Though a successful lawyer in his town of Arras, France, Robespierre's father was so upset about the death of his wife that his law practice started to fail, and in 1766, he left his four children with relatives. Robespierre was raised by two aunts. In 1769, he won for himself a scholarship to Louis-le-Grand. There he excelled as a student, especially in the area of classical languages. But his real calling was political philosophy. He read the essays of Jean-Jacques Rousseau and other philosophes. Throughout his life, much of Robespierre's political thinking can be brought back to Rousseau's ideology.
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...Amongst the Bolshevik revolutionaries who took part in the Russian Revolution of 1917, Stalin was appointed general secretary of the party's Central Committee in 1922. He subsequently managed to consolidate power following the 1924 death of Vladimir Lenin through suppressing Lenin's criticisms (in the postscript of his testament) and expanding the functions of his role, all the while eliminating any opposition. He remained general secretary until the post was abolished in 1952, concurrently serving as the Premier of the Soviet Union from 1941 onward.
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..."A great luck for Russia was that at the times of hardships she was
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Stalin was a man of extraordinary energy, erudition and a powerful
will. Him even I, a person taught by the Parliament, could not counter.
W. Churchill
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...Comparison and Contrast
“A dream and real vacation”
Siti Aisyah Othman
Afiqah Izzati Abd Hamid
Nursyasabila Syaza
Budget
Facilities
Environment
A real Vacation
(Malaysian Island)
- Affordable
- Same currency
- Concept of
village
- The equipment
(rental)
- Beauty of the
nature
- Temperature
- Friendly society
A dream vacation
(Maldives Island)
- More expensive
- Different
currency
- Guest Villas
- Beauty of the
nature
- The equipment
( Included in the - Temperature
package)
- Friendly society
Introduction
What will you think when you hear about a
vacation to an island? I am sure that you must
have gone to a vacation in Malaysia before. But
have you ever dreamt of having a nicer vacation,
such as in Maldives Island? There are some
similarities and differences between a dream
vacation to Maldives Island and a real vacation
in any Malaysian Island, such as the budget, the
environment and the facilities.
Body 1
The first thing that you need to consider before going
to a vacation is your budget. You need to have a budget plan
so that you will know your capability of affording your
vacation. For a real vacation, you will definitely choose to go
to an Island that is affordable since the currency is the
same. In the contrary, if it is a dream vacation, you can
choose any expensive islands for your vacation but you will
need some time to save some money in order for you to go
there. This is because, the currency of money between
Malaysia...